What am I becoming?

I have no idea if you have ever encountered this, but there are times when a conversation is happening when I realize that I am confronted with the attitude, "I am fine. It feels good or feels right to me, so it must be okay with God." 

I find myself stumped sometimes in these moments feeling like I do not know how to respond. I might think of something later, but in the moment, I think I am surprised and go blank. 

Recently, this kind of conversation had me pondering holiness and what causes us to veer away from it. Our culture's pursuit of "I want what I want, when I want it" mentality has me stumped and well quite honestly very sad. Don't get me wrong. It isn't because I think I am holier. I know I AM NOT! I have had my own moments of pursuing what I wanted without any thought to the consequences and then reaped the suffering that came at my own hand. 

My grief comes from knowing the consequences of thinking, "I am okay" when I was not and truly wishing someone would have intervened for me. 

So, this morning I sat in the pursuit of holiness and the importance of it. I am hoping to convey the gift and beauty. Honestly, I recognize that my lists will not do anything for the one that is not seeking holiness. In fact, it will feel like death. But, for the one that truly has a heart to turn to God and pursue Him and righteousness it will bring life. 

I am hoping that it will help this one. Maybe it be you. As for me, it was a beautiful reminder of why I long for the mind of Christ to be made known in me. 

What does it mean to be holy as I am holy? (Lev. 11:44; 1 Peter 1:15-16)

In Hebrew, the word "holy" means to be set apart for a purpose. Holiness is about an active pursuit of God and reflecting His character. It is about moving forward in obedience in every area of your life.

Interestingly, what we worship impacts our holiness because we become what we worship. 

What we worship is a reflection of our inner being. So, we must ask ourselves, “What am I becoming?” 

Because our holiness begins internally and what is internal will become how we become externally. It will affect every relationship. 

We must remember that holiness is not about rules, laws, or regulations as much as it is the pursuit of God and allowing the mind of Christ to become the formation of our character. IF our mind is on becoming more like Christ, we are less likely to pursue the things of this earth.

This is not about a life of perfection, but of pursuit. It is about growing, knowing, learning, and leaving behind that which will hinder our ability to reflect His glory. The fun and crazy part is that when we start to get our focus on Him, these things begin to bring about a change in us that we are not even aware. Without realizing it our minds are changing and we become surprised by the Mind of Christ in us! Pure JOY!

Sacredness of Sound

Have you ever noticed how the sacred often comes in a holy pause that is filled with silence or a quietness that brings peace? 

I found it interesting that in the building of the temple in 1 Kings 6:7, we are told that no hammer or tool was heard at the temple site while it was built. 

Y'all it took 7 years to build.

Think holy awe, but in the construction. 

Construction sites are always noisy. But in the building of the Dwelling Place of God no hammers or tools were heard.

Do you sense the peace?

His dwelling place was built in a peaceful atmosphere.

Did you know we are told that the righteous will live in quiet dwellings? (Is. 32:17-18). 

Did you know that there is quietness in His presence? (Hab. 2:20).

Or that we can wait in peaceful rest for the LORD? (Ps. 62:1-2,5).

Or that Jesus remained silent in the face of His accusers (Is. 42-1-12, Is. 53).

God will stop the noise of the ruthless (Is. 25:5).

There is a time to be silent (Ecc. 3:7).

And noise without love is empty (1 Cor. 13:1).

I don't know about you, but I know when I am dwelling in peace and when I am not. There is a sacred awe that fills us when we guard against the noise when we draw near to God. 

I am asking myself, "What noise am I allowing in when I approach God?"

Fasting condemnation for Lent

Our pastor has invited us to consider what we might want to fast for Lent. This is not something that is required for our faith, but it is an invitation to focus our minds on God by giving something up. So, I simply asked God, “What would you like for me to give up?” Probably, not thirty minutes after my prayer, I was listening to a podcast when the pastor said that his church was going to give up condemnation for Lent. 

I thought, “Wait! What?” 

He then quoted that the Bible says, “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). I didn’t hear anything else he said.

I have always prayed this verse. I have also learned there are greater lessons to be learned when I fast something internal versus something external. Honestly, my more powerful and core life lessons have come from an internal fast. Once I fasted for 30 days asking God for anything. I simply chose to let my prayers just focus on what I know about Him when I prayed. IT RADICALLY CHANGED ME! I learned more about God and saw crazy amazing answers to prayer without ever asking God for anything. 

So, I have decided to fast condemnation. Oh boy! I do believe I am about to go into another life lesson that will change me at the depths of my core.

How often do my thoughts condemn me? Far more than you can imagine! How often do my words condemn me? Again, too many times. How often do I allow the spirit of condemnation to enter my thoughts against another? Again, shamefully, too many times. 

UGH! YES! YEP! I need to fast condemnation!

So, what will this look like? 

On this side of the lesson, this is what I hope to do. 

First, I will ask GOD to make me conscious of the spirit of condemnation. Father, will you please reveal to me the moments when I speak or think condemnation. 

Then, I will pray the verse, “There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.” I want to cover this struggle with the truth because it is the truth that sets us free (John 8:32).

Then, I hope to cover it with the opposite. Father, how can I show grace and mercy? How can I speak life and love? How can I honor myself or the other? How can I change the mental, emotional, social, or even physical story that might being played in me? 

I will take the time to reflect on the truth that condemnation puts me in the place of acting like I am God and I am not. While conviction will cause me to want to repent so I can draw closer to God. There is a big difference, and the outcome is so different. 

This means I must be aware. This means I must be willing. This means that I must be willing to be obedient in the moment. This means that I must die to thoughts that in the moment I might feel justified in having. 

This is not a new journey for me. I can give you stories of the layers of God teaching me this lesson in my spiritual journey. But this is different. This is me now. Mature, Tara. Seasoned, Tara. Experienced, Tara. I wonder, what HE will reveal to me in this Lent? 

What might God be asking you to give up internally this Lent? Are you willing to dare to pray and try to see what God might cause you to discover about Him and yourself? Maybe you might want to join me in the fast of condemnation! 

Lent runs from February 19th to April 2 this year! 

What better way to focus on God and self-awareness than to give up something internally that hinders honoring Him and personal growth. 

Shalom, Shalom, y’all!

God is Sufficient

God's Word never ceases to amaze me! 

Often, He will give me something special that I know is for the group I am training in a certain story. I have been teaching the story of Joseph for years! But I finally caught this truth this morning. As I was reading the last few verses of Genesis 45:25-28, I read that Jacob was listed first and at the end of of verses Israel was listed as his name. I couldnt help but wonder, "Why?"

Oh my! According to Dr. David Guzik, it is because Jacob was deceived about the death of Joseph, but now as he knows the truth, he is Israel walking in the blessing of knowing and believing. 

My mind immediately went to his naming as a baby as Jacob for grabbing the heal of his brother and then how he stole his brother's birth right. My mind then jumped to his struggle with God at the Jabbok River. Jacob held on until God blessed him. It was in this moment, he was named Israel. God was revealing how He would be sufficient and bless Jacob to be Israel.

I then was caught by the fact that Israel said that God was sufficient. That is worthy of repeating, God is sufficient. Jacob was able to move into his new name because he saw God's sufficiency and believed. 

As I shared this during our study this morning, my translator started to cry. She said, "I am sorry. This caught me." 

I love the beauty of God's Word and His sufficiency. I love that He revealed this truth to me on the morning my translator needed it. I am so humbled by His sufficiency in giving us the truth in the moment we need it. 

We all need to walk into the blessing of knowing that God is sufficient in our circumstances.

Amen!

Shalom! Shalom!

His hand froze to the sword

 

Have you ever struggled with endurance in a circumstance?  

I can't rightly say battle because most of us don't go to battle. But, I just caught something this morning. In 2 Samuel 23:10, we are told that Eleazar, one of David's mighty men, "stood his ground in the battle until his hand froze to the sword."  

At first, I was caught by the word "froze." I thought, "his hand can't freeze to his sword in that region. It doesn't get that cold." Lol.

My mind is so focused on the cold here in the middle of winter that I had a visual of icicles surrounding his had. Lol. But then I paused and thought of how my muscles can feel frozen from over use. 

I realized that Eleazar stayed and fought so long that his focus and determination had him gripping the sword so tightly his tendons and ligaments literally froze. They locked in the stiff position of the intense grip he had to have to ensure he did not lose his sword in the battle.

Wow! He stayed so long that a great victory was won. While, the Israelite troops had retreated, rested and returned, Eleazar had kept fighting. 

Hmmm. So, what makes a person a mighty warrior? It is someone that stays, stands their ground, and keeps pushing through in the battle even when it is tough. They do not release the grip of their sword. It is someone that holds onto their sword and does not let go until their hand has frozen in the position of a tight hold.

I realize we do not have a metal sword in our battles. So, I am going to say it is the sword of the Spirit in our case which is the Word of God. We must use it to the point that our hand is not capable of letting it go (Ephesians 6:10-18).  

How do I grip my sword of the Spirit for battle today? 

I listen to my Bible and read it daily. Every single day. Sometimes more than others. Sometimes, it is just a verse or two because I am so caught by it. But, I am doing it so much that is nourishing my spiritual bones in the deep marrow of my soul. It is the kind of nourishment that my spiritual strength gives me the grip I need to face the battle whatever it may be. I may not be aware of the strength it is giving me, but it is there equipping me for the day of battle.

I then must yield it to pierce through the darkness at hand. As I lift my spiritual sword I discover that the words that I need to remind me of how to live in righteousness in the moment does come to me, but I must choose to lift it up and use it. I am the one that has to swing it into action in my life. This is where my grip must take hold. 

May I be like Eleazar and stay in the battle holding on to my sword until victory is won! Using it faithfully and not letting go. Amen!

A simple process for telling the story of Joseph

As I have traveled and trained leaders in North American, Africa, and Asia, I have become concerned at the reality that few people know the full stories of key characters in the Bible. We have a rich heritage, and the stories provide wisdom for all generations. Something powerful happens when someone hears the whole text of a story. On numerous occasions, I have observed hearers respond by asking where is it in the Bible and how they can either listen to it again or go and read it for themselves? Our goal is to present the story in layers so that it can be grasped at the simplest level and for the hearer or reader that wants to go deeper, they will be able to do so as well. In either case, both will be able to provide a basic outline or summary of the story. 

The strategy is simple. 

It is said that a good teacher can bring a lesson to the most irreducible parts. As I prepare to teach a story, I will create story outlines that help me to remember the story. I have found that this is helpful to others as well. So, in this book you will find a short story outline that can be used to build the story strategy for recall. 

 

In preparation for a trip to Ethiopia, I created motions to use with the story outline. It is a mixture of American Sign Language and intuition. This is not to add to or take away from the beauty of the American Sign Language. I am simply trying to create a motion for story recall. As I shared the story in motion with Grant, Alice, and Emily, the storytellers I was traveling with when I first started this manual, they helped me refine it. I love it because they make me better at what I do. We recorded videos of them teaching the motions while in Ethiopia. 

You can watch the video on YouTube at https://youtu.be/ad2Gs9GPthQ. 

I love that you can hear the jungle sounds in the background of the videos. Or if you prefer you can just read through the descriptions provided in this book. 

The story in motion is short intentionally, so we can do them quickly and capture their attention. The goal is to give them a basic outline for the story and the story plot. In the process, the story in motion also introduces the characters so that the hearer can know the key characters in the story. 

The best part is that they are reproducible because the hand motions and movement help with story recall. If you pay attention, you will notice repeat phrases to showcase patterns in the story. These are helpful in story recall as well and if done right can be turned into a song or a call and response. 

God willing, someone with the gift of music will be able to make these culturally relevant, too. While in South Sudan I asked Emily to write story song for Joseph like she did for the Esther story in Ethiopia that introduced the characters. She blew my mind away. It was so catchy and provided a quick crowd motivator. 

Here is the link for Emily’s story song: https://youtu.be/w3N9VWsFohc.

Joseph Song: A Life of Bows (Chorus). Bow-Bow-Bow 

   They Bow Down Down Down 

   To the Ground Ground Ground

    Brothers Wheat in a Dream 

    Sun Moon Stars in a Dream 

    Jacob asks: Can This Be? 

 (Chorus) 

    Sold to serve Potiphar. 

    Joseph blessed, then accused.

    In the Jail, Did Prosper 

 (Chorus) 

   Pharaoh Dreams, What’s it Mean?    

     Famine Comes, Egypt Saved.        

         Brothers Eat, He forgave. 

 (Chorus) 

   OUTRO 

   Bow-Bow-Bow 

   WE Bow Down Down Down 

   To the Lord Most High! 

There’s beauty in surrendering your life to the One who made it. We see God at work through Joseph’s life from an outsider perspective that allows us to see the result, while for him at the time was full of trials in different seasons. 

He submitted to the Lord who made Him, and God was with Joseph, and he prospered even in difficult situations. 

Through it all, God was still in control, and He is worthy of our praise. He Is the Lord Most High! 

Emily Pedersen 

South Sudan Song Composition (January 2023)

Once the story in motion has the group involved in the story, we will then present a short summary to give a big picture overview. The story summary is a mini metanarrative that is told in three to five minutes. You can watch the Joseph story summary at https://youtu.be/7cFx7wa7HRU. The story summary allows the story plot to be revealed in an overview. It helps to build the story recall. A three-to-five-minute story does not feel impossible to recall. It feels doable. Our goal is for this to be conversational and relational as if sitting and telling a family story. Sometimes, this may be all you can do with a group because who has time to sit and listen to a whole book or fourteen chapters? 

Then, we will tell the whole story in depth. Each chapter will be broken down into shorter stories and different story tellers will tell each story. This shifting of storyteller and story chunking actually tricks the mind into thinking it can recall more information because it considers each storyteller one chunk of information and thereby recall more content. 

So, what can this look like? While in South Sudan our team of storytellers partnered with Pads4Pupils (women’s hygiene) and Healing Kadi’s (medical mission team). While they did medical missions our team of storytellers would tell stories to those waiting. First, we would tell the story in a short song that Emily created. This made the group laugh and join in the fun. Then we would tell the story in motion. This helped them know the people and plot. Then we would tell the short summary so that they could know an overview what they will hear and finally we would tell the whole story of the character. When the crowd was able, we would follow this up with a basic QAR (question, answer and response time). 

They will hear the story in three ways that will build on what they know and hear. If God allows it, we will then use questions to dig deeper while going over the story a fourth time. 

1. Story outline in motion 

2. Story summary 

3. Story in full 

4. Story Q&A 

If time permits, we will have them create story dramas or skits and we always challenge the group to go out and tell the story to someone. 

If we are given only an hour, we will do motion, summary, and drama or motion, summary, and Q&A depending on the type of audience. 

You can listen to the whole story of Joseph at https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCvaPbTnXHiQpnqApKZkE4jW8FPFDrxn2. Excerpt from Rye, Tara, "Joseph," 2021.

Did you know that the first recorded convert to Europe was a woman?

Okay, how is it that in all these years I did not see this until now? 

Did you know that Europe's first recorded convert in the Bible was a woman? 

We all love the story. If you are familiar with the Bible you know her as Lydia, the business woman who sold purple linen (Acts 16:11-15).

She was known for being a worshipper of God, but when Paul shared about Jesus, the LORD opened her heart and she believed in God's gift through His Son. She and her entire household were baptized that day.

Here is the deal. Her decision was followed by incredible generosity and hospitality. Her home and business became a catalyst for launching the spread of the good news of Jesus into Europe. 

Wozer! Imagine! God can take that which seems so small to change nations. 

I imagine Lydia never knew the impact of her decision. But we are told in Philippians 1:1; 4:15-16 that the church of Philippi supported global missions! 

A simple yes. 

An open home. 

A gift of hospitality. 

A generous heart. 

A catalyst to nations.

All because Paul was willing to listen to a vision by God to go to Macedonia to help. 

These are worthy things to ponder as we go into the New Year.

Father, may we listen and obey Your Holy Spirit and Your visions to go. In response, may we give a simple yes and follow through with hospitality and generosity for Your glory! In Jesus' name, amen.